Summary

Kiba becomes upset that Naruto, the dead-last in their Academy days, had become such a hero. After being chided by his mother Tsume and partner Shino, he decided to train in order to become stronger. Seeking out Kakashi, the only available jōnin sensei currently, he asks him to help him train. Kakashi however summons his ninken to aid Kiba and Akamaru in their training. After initially giving up after being defeated by the hounds, Akamaru carries Kiba to a tree in the village where he sees that Naruto had broken his record in speed since the time they were children racing for candy. With his determination renewed, he demands a rematch with the hounds and is successfully able to retrieve the scroll. With this, Kiba races to the tree and sets a new record, declaring that he'd never give up.

Trivia

In this episode, Chōji and Shikamaru's ears are pierced while they are in the Academy. However, their ears are not supposed to be pierced until they become genin in keeping with their clans' tradition.